33 Kairanga Street, Mangere East, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Little Climbers Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Little Climbers Early Learning centre is one of five services under the same ownership. The owner is a qualified teacher. A newly appointed centre manager leads a team of two qualified teachers and one teacher aide. Most children attending have Pacific heritages, and a small number of children are Māori.
Children experience respectful relationships with teachers. Unhurried and calm routines provide uninterrupted time for children to engage in meaningful play. A play-based curriculum responds to their interests and provides a range of experiences to support children’s learning. Leaders and teachers are reviewing the transition to school programme to ensure it aligns with the intent of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Relationships with parents are prioritised. Parent aspirations are sought and used to inform curriculum decisions. Teachers continue to build partnerships with parents and whānau that focus on having a shared approach to supporting children’s learning.
Children’s languages and cultures are highly visible and valued by teachers. Culturally responsive practices are reflected in children’s learning records and in the environment. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are woven into teachers’ daily practices. This focus continues to be a priority area of improvement for teachers.
A strategic plan and a framework of policies and procedures are in place. Leaders and teachers are committed to ongoing professional learning, including through external appraisal and mentoring opportunities. Leaders have yet to evaluate the impact this work is having on improved teaching practice or outcomes for children.
A process for internal evaluation that focuses on improvement is evident. Leaders and teachers are beginning to work collaboratively to embed this process. They are yet to focus on identifying the practices and experiences that result in positive and improved learning outcomes for children.
Little Climbers Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Climbers Early Learning Centre completed an ERO Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows the following non-compliance has been addressed:
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
15 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Little Climbers Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 45925 |
| Location | Mangere East, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 30 children over 2 years |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 30 |
| Review team on site | September 2023 |
| Date of this report | 15 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2021 Previously reviewed as Little Kingdom Christian Preschool: Education Review, April 2017 |
ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Little Climbers Early Learning Centre is a privately owned education and care service. Previously known as Little Kingdom Christian Preschool, it has been re-licensed under new ownership since December 2019. The owner/centre manager leads a team of two qualified teachers and one support staff member. This is the centre’s first ERO review as Little Climbers Early Learning Centre.
Positive steps are taken to acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children. The curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures. The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.
There is a comprehensive annual plan that visibly guides the service’s operations. A sufficient quantity and variety of furniture, equipment and materials is provided appropriate for children’s learning and abilities. The premises, furniture, equipment, and materials are maintained in good condition.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
3 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Little Climbers Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 45925 |
| Location | Mangere East, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 30 children over 2 years |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 25 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 6 Tongan 12 other ethnic groups 7 |
| Review team on site | November 2020 |
| Date of this report | 3 February 2021 |
Most recent ERO report(s)
| First ERO review of the service |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement of Little Kingdom Christian Preschool are summarised below.
Little Kingdom Christian Preschool is a privately owned centre in Mangere East. It provides early childhood education and care for up to 30 children in a renovated house. The service focuses on increasing participation in early childhood education by being responsive to the social needs of the community. The majority of children at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool are of Māori or Pacific heritage. Children learn and play as a mixed-age group but there are times when older children are provided with a programme to support their transition to school.
Since ERO's 2014 review Little Kingdom Christian Preschool has had some staff changes. The centre manager is a joint owner of the centre and has formed a team of qualified teachers who are developing a shared approach for continuous improvement. Self-review processes and targeted professional development have focused on enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the centre. The head teacher is new to her position as curriculum leader. She promotes shared leadership of programme design and management.
In its 2014 of Little Kingdom Christian Preschool, ERO identified a range of concerns that resulted in additional support for the centre and the need for an action plan to guide improvements. Centre leaders and teachers have made good progress. They have sustained positive practices in relation to the development of children's language and social skills, and have strengthened programme planning. Centre leaders are keen to continue improving these areas.
Children at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool play enthusiastically. They quickly connect with teachers and friends on arrival and promptly engage in various areas of play. Children have positive relationships with teachers. Older children are developing social skills as they play collaboratively with their peers. Children choose from prepared resources and activities. They benefit from literacy and numeracy experiences that are integrated in play contexts. Children are learning to use self-help skills at snack and meal times.
The teachers at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool support children to engage with resources and follow their interests. They maintain a focus on teaching children respect for each other and the environment. This supports children to play cooperatively. Some teachers use questions well to encourage children's ideas and help them to solve problems. They also regularly include cultural activities in the programme, which often involves parents and whānau sharing their skills and knowledge. Teachers are promoting aspects of tikanga Māori in the programme and confidently use simple te reo Māori phrases.
A new planning approach has been developed at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool to capture teachers' reflections on the programme and record children's learning. While this approach helps teachers to provide activities that reflect children’s interests, it does not identify specific teaching strategies or goals to extend children’s learning. The curriculum leader recognises that it is now time to evaluate how well this planning approach guides teaching practices. Teachers could share examples of effective teaching and reflective learning stories, to develop a set of agreed teaching expectations and help each other to all achieve these skills.
Parents who were interviewed by ERO appreciate the caring environment for their children. They value teachers’ interest in children's wellbeing and are pleased about the play, learning and cultural experiences that their children enjoy. Parents feel well informed about their children's learning and acknowledge opportunities to give feedback and comments.
The centre manager at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool provides sound leadership for staff. She provides an inclusive environment, regularly consulting teachers and involving them in decisions about centre development. She keeps up-to-date with developments in early childhood education and actively support teachers’ professional growth. Self review is valued by the team and an effective process is in place to inform decision-making.
The owners of Little Kingdom Christian Preschool are committed to providing a service that meets community needs and offers good quality care and learning for children. The centre manager is strengthening teacher appraisal processes to better reflect the requirements of the Education Council NZ. Staff and parents are appropriately consulted and have input into policy decisions and centre development.
Centre leaders at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool agree that the key next steps for centre development should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Kingdom Christian Preschool completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at Little Kingdom Christian Preschool's systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Little Kingdom Christian Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
21 April 2017
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Mangere East, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45925 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
24 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2017 |
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Date of this report |
21 April 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2014 |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.